Letter: Congress should fix broken VA system

The inspector general's investigation and report into the suicide of Sgt. Brandon Ketchum, who had visited the Iowa City VA Center asking for help and was turned away, is nothing more than a scam report and a cover up of the parties involved. This report does uncover the incompetent procedures of the VA. Why isn't anyone fired as a result of this inquiry?

The first question I have is why did congressional members request the VA inspector general to look into the matter? Do you think the VA's inspector general is going to find anything negative about his own agency? It's called job security! An outside inspector general should have been brought in, especially in a case like this.

Secondly, what does it take to get Congress to act on fixing the bloated VA agency? Nobody gets fired when it is obvious they should be and this emboldens VA employees to thumb their noses at any criticisms. A good alternative to the VA system is Tricare, which we use. Every veteran could be issued a Tricare card. This would allow them to go to the provider of their choice. The Tricare system is in place and effective.

Congress, quit playing Washington political games. There are over 300 million Americans who vote for you who expect you to represent us. Start solving problems and not become part of the problem.

Robert Sentman

Tiffin